Holocaust: A Result of Racism

Ian Kershaw empathetically states that “The Holocaust was the systematic, extermination of six million Jews by the Nazi government and their allies during World War II.” He further add that it wasn’t until after Adolph Hitler “became Chancellor of the German government, he began targeting the Jews as racially inferior to the German people (Kershaw, 1985).

Racism is the belief centralized in the idea that a certain race is considered to be superior or inferior to another. It is a belief that labels a person’s worth, social, and moral traits based on his/her inherent nationality or biological features (Anti-Defamation League). This mentality has been around for centuries and still exists today. There are several theories about how such came about and why it continues to thrive. Racism can only be thoroughly studied by tracing its roots and history. Knowing the relevant events prior to and after the peak of a racist manifestation in the society during a certain period of time is one of the keys in understanding the nature of racism. It is important to note that the attempt to understand the nature of racism is not necessarily equivalent to the attempt to justify it. The main purpose of racism studies should be directed towards the attempt to lessen, if not eradicate such mentality. The Holocaust, the infamous racist manifestation which took place in Germany is a great example of what happens when racism is not stopped or prevented. Taking such infamous racist events in history under an extensive look, reveals some of the major arguments/concepts/causes of racism that could lead to understanding racism as a whole and thereby help address this issue in the modern-day society. Extreme ethnocentrism, rivalry for supremacy, and people lacking information are some of the causes of racism deemed to be important in studying

The Holocaust was the systematic killing and extermination of millions of Jews and other Europeans by the German Nazi state between 1939 and 1945. Innocent Europeans were forced from their homes into concentration camps, executed violently, and used for medical experiments. The Nazis believed their acts against this innocent society were justified when hate was the motivating factor. The Holocaust illustrates the consequences of prejudice, racism, and stereotyping on a society. It forces societies to examine the responsibility and role of citizenship, in addition to approaching the powerful ramifications of indifference and inaction. (Holden Congressional Record). Despite the adverse treatment of the Jews, there are lessons that can be learned from the Holocaust: The Nazi’s rise to power could have been prevented, the act of genocide was influenced by hate, and the remembrance of the Holocaust is of the utmost importance for humanity.

The Holocaust was the murder and persecution of approximately 6 million Jews and many others by the Nazi regime and its collaborators. The Nazis came to power in Germany in January of 1933. The Nazis thought that the “inferior” Jews were a threat to the “racially superior” German racial community. The death camps were operated from 1941 to 1945, and many people lost their lives or were forced to work in concentration camps during these years. The story leading up to the Holocaust, how the terrible event affected people’s lives, and how it came to and end are all topics that make this historic event worth learning about.

When the war ended in 1945, millions of Jews had perished. Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime had almost entirely wiped out a single race of people in what would become known as the Holocaust. However, the Jews were not the only people who had been stripped of their dignity and killed. There were other groups who the Nazi’s persecuted against. The Roma, homosexuals, the mentally and physically disabled, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Political Prisoners were all systematically gathered up and killed. When the Holocaust gets mentioned, many don't talk about the other millions of innocent people who were murdered alongside the Jews. Many don't see these people as victims at all. The number of people murdered during the Holocaust reaches close to eleven million people. “Contragenics” is the term used to talk about all of the groups who were murdered under the Nazi regime during the Holocaust. These innocent lives were lost in the Holocaust, and while history hasn’t forgotten, humanity has.

The Holocaust was the attempt by the Nazi regime to systematically exterminate the European Jewish race during World War II. The Holocaust was a reference to the murder of around six million Jews and other minority groups such as homosexuals, gypsies and the disabled (Wiesel, 2008).

Eleven million individuals were victimized by the Holocaust. Six million of those victims were Jewish, while the other five million were groups targeted by the Nazi’s because they didn’t fit their discriminative criteria. Inhumane practices were used in attempts to purify and unify the German state (Novick, 225). When the Holocaust is discussed, the Jewish victims are usually the main focal point of the massive “genocide.”

From 1933 through 1945 was a period of history called the Holocaust. During the Holocaust, people were being killed for their looks, race, and disability. About 11 million people were killed in brutal and tragic ways. Adolf Hitler, the leader, wanted to create a pure race. Racism helped Hitler organize the population into the way he wanted. He wanted people to support the cause of making a pure race. If people opposed, they would be persecuted. Racism allowed Hitler to influence the German people into following his leadership even if it meant genocide.

The Jewish Holocaust is often described as the largest, most gruesome holocaust in history. It began in 1933 with the rise of Adolf Hitler and lasted nearly twelve years until the Nazi Party were defeated by the Allied powers in 1945. The expression “Holocaust” originated from Greece which is translated to “sacrifice by fire”. This is a very proper name considering the slaughter and carnage of Jewish people inflicted by the Nazis. In addition to the Jewish, Gypsies, Jehovah’s Witnesses, homosexual, and physically and mentally disabled were targeted by the Nazis. Although the numbers are not exact, it is estimated that approximately eleven-million people were killed during the Holocaust. This includes about six-million Jews and one-million children. The persecution begins on April 1, 1933 when Nazis initiated the first action against Jews. It began with a boycott of all Jewish businesses and only became more extreme as time went on. In September of 1935 Jews were excluded from public life and stripped of citizenship and marriage rights. This was an unprecedented action that was enforced by the German government through the Nuremberg Laws. Several other anti-Jewish laws were established during the buildup of World War II. During these dismal years, countless Jews were sent to “camps”. These “camps” ranged from concentration camps, extermination camps, labor camps, to prisoner of war camps. Nevertheless, all of these camps treated Jews inhumanly. Dachau, Germany was the home of

The Holocaust of 1933-1945, was the systematic killing of millions of European Jews by the National Socialist German Worker’s Party (Nazis) (Webster, 430). This project showed the treacherous treatment towards all Jews of that era. Though many fought against this horrific genocide, the officials had already determined in their minds to exterminate the Jews. Thus, the Holocaust was a malicious movement that broke up many homes, brought immense despair, and congregated great discrimination. The Holocaust was an act of Hell on earth.

Adolf Hitler joined the Nazi party in 1920. The large Nazi party wanted to unite as one nation and form a strong central government. Soon later in 1930, a depression had hit Germany and the entire nation. Hitler promised to get rid of Jewish people and communists throughout many speeches during the depression. People in Germany were in need of a leader and needed someone that could help them out of the rough times. Many people in Germany believed in Hitler and trusted him. As soon as Von Hindenburg, the leader of Germany, died in 1934, Hitler had full control over Germany. First, Hitler began to enforce strict laws on the Jewish people. Then Hitler began to move Jewish people to what are called Ghettos. Ghettos were small communities that fenced all the Jews inside. People thought they were on some sort of vacation and that the Nazis were keeping them safe from the nearby war. The Ghettos were buildings with small apartments inside. Families were very crammed and had to give up any gold or valuables. There was

The Holocaust was a systematic, bureaucratic and state sponsored decision made by the Nazi German Government and their collaborators between years 1936 to 1945 to eliminate all Jews from European society. This decision was known as the ‘final solution’ to the ‘Jewish question’ (Todd Allan 2001). Although German authorities main target was the Jews they also targeted specific groups who were perceived as ‘racially inferior’ including; Roma (Gypsies), some Slavic people (poles, Russians and others), communist, socialist, Jehovah’s witnesses, the disabled, the mentally ill, homosexuals and other people deemed inferior (Introduction to the Holocaust 2016). Jews were the main victims of the holocaust as they were a source of hatred within Germany

The Holocaust was an ultimate abomination of Nazi racism that occurred between 1938 and 1945. The word Holocaust derived from the Greek word holokauston, which stands for a burnt sacrifice that is offered whole to God. The word was chosen for this occurrence because of the amount of dead bodies that were cremated in open fires by Nazis. The Holocaust was known for the mass murders of European Jews that took place during the Second World War. European Jews were the fundamental victims during the Holocaust and seemed to be the most targeted. In 1933, approximately nine million Jews lived in Europe and settle in 21 different countries. It eventually would be seized by Germany during the Second World War. By 1945, around five or six million European Jews had been brutally murdered. A majority of them died in concentration camps that were build primarily for Jews. However, Jews were not the only victims that were persecuted by Hitler’s and his Nazi regime. A half million Gypsies, mentally or physically disabled persons, and Soviet prisoners from war were also discriminated victims to Hitler’s Nazi genocide. Jehovah’s Witnesses and homosexuals were also persecuted in Europe.

The Holocaust is most well-known for the organized and inhumane extermination of more than six million Jews. The death total of the Jews is this most staggering; however, other groups such as Gypsies, Poles, Russians, political groups, Jehovah’s witnesses, and homosexuals were targeted as well (Holocaust Encyclopedia: Introduction to the Holocaust). The initial idea of persecuting select groups of people began with Adolf Hitler’s rise to power in Germany. In January 1930, Hitler became the Chancellor of Germany after winning over its people with powerful and moving speeches. From this point forward, it was a goal for both Hitler and his Nazi Party to rid the world of deemed “inferior” groups of people (Holocaust Encyclopedia: Timeline

Adolf Hitler, and his Nazi Party that followed him, began persecuting Jews in 1933. Adolf Hitler, the mastermind behind the Holocaust, was an anti-semitic man who believed in a superior Arian German race. Hitler's rise to power was just the beginning of a series of events that almost led to the complete annihilation of many countries' Jewish population. First, laws that limited the Jew's rights were applied. Next, their valuables were taken from their possession, and then the innocent people were forced into cramped ghettos lined with barbwire. According to Sally Marks, “the term holocaust is derived from the Greek language and literally means 'a sacrifice totally consumed by fire'.” (1) Living up to its definition, during the Holocaust many Jews were burned in the fiery mouths of the crematoriums. The impact of the segregational laws as well as being forced into ghettos were only the beginning of the inhumane crimes the Jews were subjected to during the Holocaust.